Psychology
Perspectives
(approaches to
studying psychology)
psy·chol·o·gy
Noun:
1.
The scientific study of the human mind and its
functions, esp. those affecting behavior in a given
context.
2.
The mental characteristics or attitude of a person
or group.
Behaviorism
• View people and animals as controlled by their
environment
• We are the result of what we have learned from
our environment
• how environmental factors (called stimuli) affect
observable behavior (called the response).
– Classical conditioning
– Operant conditioning
• Only observable behavior should be studied,
since it is the only thing that can be measured
Behaviorism
•
•
•
•
Thorndike
Skinner
Watson
Pavlov
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic
Perspective
• Behavior is determined by the
unconsciousness mind and early
childhood experiences
• We are motivated by impulse rooted in our
unconscious mind
• Both a perspective and a therapy
Psychodynamic/Psychoanalytic
Perspective
• Freud
– Jung
Humanism
• Looks at the “whole person”
• Looks at human behavior not only through
the eyes of the observer, but through the
eyes of the person doing the behaving
• Behavior is connected to inner feelings
and self image
• We all are good, and strive to reach full
potential (self actualization)
Humanism
• Carl Rogers
• Abraham Maslow
Cognitive
• Studies the mental act or process by
which knowledge is acquired
• Memory, perception, attention
• Scientific approach that uses lab
experiments to study behavior
Cognitive
• Wundt
• Piaget
Biological
• believes that most behavior is inherited
and has an adaptive (or evolutionary)
function
• explain behaviors in neurological terms,
the physiology and structure of the brain
and how this influences behavior
• Uses drug therapy to treat mental illness
Biological
• Darwin
Socio-Cultural
• based on the assumption that our
personalities, beliefs, attitudes. and skills
are learned from others
• culture, ethnic identity, gender identity,
socio-economic status
• More recent approach to studying human
behavior
Socio-Cultural
Conclusion
• No one perspective is the “right” or “only”
perspective
• Each has strengths and weaknesses
• Most psychologist agree that we must use
multiple approaches/perspectives to
explain human behavior
– McLeod, S. A. (2007). Psychology Perspectives. Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/perspective.html